TOO OLD NOT TO TRY : Rather Than Giving In to Age, Noah Is Using It as His Motivation

It just may be that getting older for Yannick Noah means getting better.

Noah, the 1983 French Open tennis champion, has for years been expected to burst out of the pack and make a strong run at the top. He has done well--finishing the last six years in the top-10 rankings in men’s tennis--but has fallen short of the lofty expectations of many.

Now, a sense of urgency and purpose seem to be driving the 27-year-old Noah to hone his formidable skills.

Earlier this year at Milan, Italy, Noah was impressive.

He beat Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors in succession to win his 22nd career singles title, and Noah reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and was a semifinalist at Lyon this year.

“I’ve not much time to lose now. I’ve got to win some big matches again,” Noah said.

“When I was 22-23, you think, ‘OK, I have seven more years to go, so no matter what happens this year I’ll do better the next year,’ ” Noah said.

“Now it is a little different approach. Now I know I’m playing two more years, maybe a little less, maybe a little more,” he said.

Mats Wilander, who played the Frenchman in the semifinals of the International Players Championship here this past week, says he sees a new Noah.

“It looks like he is on his way back, that he has decided it is maybe worth it to sacrifice to be a good player again, which I think he can be,” Wilander said.

Said Connors: “When he’s into it, with his build and his game, he can put across some of the best tennis you can see.”

Noah, at 6 feet 4 inches and 190 pounds, has been running and lifting weights in addition to spending extra hours on the courts. He is the prototype of the modern tennis player--strong, fast, quick. But his weakness has been his mental approach to the game.

“I think he’ll be very dangerous at the French Open,” Wilander said. “When he’s on he can beat anybody.

“To me it looks like he is in a good mood and that is the most important thing for him,” he said.

Connors agreed: “It’s just a matter of getting him into it and keeping his mind on it match after match, point after point.”

Noah has not always concentrated on his tennis when he has needed to.

Last year he was hindered by a shoulder injury in the spring and a leg injury in the fall.

He also divorced his wife, Cecilia, getting custody of their two children.

In mid-July, Noah took a break from the tour. He missed the U.S. Open and did not return until mid-October when he won his second title of the year at Basle, Switzerland.

“It was frustrating last year,” Noah said.

When Noah was healthy and playing, he was playing well. He had a strong first half of the year, winning one tournament, coming in second at another and was a semifinalist at two more.

Last year’s smattering of favorable results did not, however, boost Noah’s confidence beginning this season.

“Even though I was working hard, I didn’t have the confidence to win tournaments,” he said. “It is kind of hard when you lose once, you go to another place and you still lose again.”

Milan changed all that.

“Suddenly it pays off and you win. That’s a reward for all the sacrifices. It’s a very good feeling, it’s a relief,” Noah said.

“My goal is to win tournaments. When you win the match point in the final that is the best feeling. I would love to win again and have that kind of feeling again.

“Winning tournaments, that’s what I’m thinking of when I get tired in practice,” Noah said. “That’s what drives me.”